Great and Terrible Things

Clementine was grinning a little too widely at her cousin's discomfort. I was betting that was why Abigail added, "Although with the way Clementine was mooning over the Phillips' younger son at church last week, you might be getting another cousin soon."

"A cousin would be nice." Billy was clearly oblivious to the storm that was about to erupt based on Clementine's expression.

"So," William said pointedly. "Are you planning on staying with your sister long?"

"Not really," I answered, understanding what he was trying to do. I did my best to help. "I'm planning on going back east to Ohio. That's where I was born. I still own the family business, but the foreman deals with the day to day operations." That caught Billy's interest and thankfully, allowed the original subject to drop.

Clementine gave Abigail a calculated look that was clearly a sign that she would get her revenge another day, but she thankfully chose let it go for now. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as we all started eating.

The conversation meandered for a while and I sat silently enjoying the food and interplay between the different family members. Well, that and stealing glances at Abigail.

The strawberry blond was prettier then I'd first thought. Unfortunately, the scar down her face was also more pronounced. Then again, I'd seen plenty of scars before, many a lot worse than hers. Hell, I had a couple, just not on my face. Besides, nothing could mar the wit and humor that quickly became apparent as she interacted with the others. I loved the way her deep blue eyes danced when she found something funny.

"Do you still have family in Ohio?" William asked, drawing me back into the conversation when we were done eating.

"Some," I answered, turning to face the old man. "My parents are gone and both my brothers died during the war. That's how I ended up inheriting the family business. I do have a couple of sisters who still live there."

True be told, my oldest sister Mary married young and moved a few days ride away. We only saw her a few times a year and I never really knew her all that well. Sarah was a different story. She and my brother Samuel's were twins. They were six years older than me and thick as thieves. I had some fond memories of both of them.

Samuel been the first to die from a bullet wound to the stomach. He'd gone to West Point and been the one to convince me to join the army. My other brother Mark only joined after the war started. He died eighteen months after Samuel.

In Mark's case it was disease and not the enemy that took him, which always struck me as wrong. He's been one of those men who were larger than life. The idea of him getting sick and dying just seemed impossible.

Mark's death was the harder for me to face. He and I were close since we were only two years part. Jenny was a late in life child for my parents. She was five years younger than me.

"I haven't seen them since I left home." I thought I'd leave it at that, but something about the way Abigail was looking at me made me continue. "I wasn't the same man after the war and frankly, I wasn't ready to see them."

I paused and shook my head as I continued to look at Abigail as I spoke. There was something in her expression that made me think she'd understand. I'd never talked about my family other than Jenny, particularly with strangers, but it just felt right.

"Samuel was my sister Sarah's twin. He had a wife back home who was waiting for him to return from the war. I hear she remarried a few years later. Mark was the brother who was going to take over the family business. He was the only one who had the talent for it. My father and him were thick as thieves."

"Their deaths made no sense. They had so much more to live for than me." I shook my head as a lot of old feeling resurfaced. "I couldn't go back and face my family as the one who didn't die." I paused again, swallowing with some difficulty. "I guess if I'm being completely honest with myself, the reason why I never went home is easy to understand in the end. Cowardice, plain and simple."

"You can't be a coward," Billy interjected with a frown, surprising me. "Clementine said you stood up to Grandpappy, momma and her without batting an eyelash. A coward wouldn't have done that."

That gave me a laugh that I desperately needed. I'd shared way too much and it embarrassed me, but Billy's innocence and the look of understanding on Abigail's face made it bearable.

"I felt a lot like that when I left the army," William interjected, deep in thought. "I think everyone who survives does."

"How did you get past it?" I found myself asking. It had been thirteen years and it still bothered me. The old man surprised me by giving me that grin of his again.

"The love of a good woman." William was now pointedly looking back and forth between his niece and me. I couldn't understand why he was pushing so hard.

"So instead of going home you stayed in the army and fought in the Indian Wars?" It sounded like a question, but it really wasn't. It was an out Abigail offered from our shared embarrassment. I took it gladly.

"Yes, and each year that passed gave me less and less reason to return to Ohio." I took a pull from the glass in front of me. It was just water, but it helped. "Mom passed first. By the time the news reached me, my father had joined her."

"And your sisters?" Abigail asked.

"My older two sisters and I fell out of touch, but my younger sister Jenny wrote me every month and kept me abreast of what was going on with them. Well, at least until she and her husband Charles moved out here and started a family of their own."

"When's the last time you heard from one of them?" Clementine asked.

"It was Jenny, about nine months ago. I expect that there are a couple more of her letters trying to catch up with me as we speak. She still writes every few months. I even visited her about four years ago while on leave."

"Then it's good you'll be seeing her again soon." Abigail offered. "Family is important. She'll probably have news of the others."

"Knowing my little sister, you're probably right," I laughed gently, shaking my head. "She's stubborn about keeping all of us in touch."

"I think I'd like her."

"Oh, you would," I laughed outright now. "But then again, everyone does. Jenny's just that kind of a person."

"Did you really fight Indians?" Billy held the question in longer than I expected. I could tell from the moment that the Indian Wars were mentioned he was dying to ask.

"Yes," I answered, smiling at the boy.

"Are they really savages?"

"They certainly fight that way," I sighed, remembering how many friends I'd lost during the Indian Wars. "But there's an honor to them too."

"Did you fight at Little Big Horn?" The boy's excitement was clear, but the question made me grimace. That battle was two years passed. I hadn't been there, but the sheer waste of life was appalling.

"No, Custer didn't want my troops in his regiment."

"You knew General Custer?" the boy asked, his excitement ratcheting up a notch.

"Lieutenant colonel." I did my best not to grimace. It wasn't easy. Custer had been a major general at the end of the civil war, but reverted to his permanent rank of captain after his regiment was mustered out. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel when he joined the 7^th Cavalry. Everything was a bit confusing back then with whole regiments being deactivated and others being formed. There were some politics involved too with Custer. "Yes, I knew him."

"He was a hero. The savages had him surrounded and he and his regiment fought to the last man!"

"He's thought of more of a Martyr than a hero these days," I got out with some difficulty. I should have left it at that, but I couldn't do it. "Truth be told, in my opinion, he wasn't much of either."

"What?" The look in the boy's eyes made me regret my words immediately. It didn't help that every adult eye was on me with more than a tinge of disapproval. I thought to keep silent, but after a moment I sighed and finally relented.

"Custer was a brave man." Brave and stupid, but the boy didn't need to know that. "And his men were heroic. They were ordered into an unwinnable situation without reinforcements and they fought bravely."

"And even though we lost that battle, we won the war!" I smiled at the boy's enthusiasm.

"At least that one," I said agreeably. "Crazy Horse is dead and Sitting Bull is hiding in Canada somewhere."

"Time for bed," Abigail said to her son, while giving me a grateful smile. A boy Billy's age deserved his heroes, even when it was someone like Custer. The two left the kitchen.

"Was Custer really that bad?" Clementine asked once Billy and his mother were out of the room.

"He was a bigoted dolt, so full of himself that he ignored direct orders to wait for reinforcements and attacked with a force that was greatly outnumbered," I snapped, but then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "But that's just my opinion, and honestly there was bad blood between us for years before he died."

"Really?" Clementine asked, but I had no intention of explaining further, not with a girl with such obvious southern ties. Who was I kidding? Not with anyone.

"It's about time I turn in as well." I stood, thanked her and her grandfather for dinner. I then turned to William and asked, "Is it okay if I sleep in the stable loft?" The old man nodding, looking a little relieved. I understood.

"Why would you do that?" Clementine asked, nervous for some reason. "I was planning on making up the guest bedroom for you."

"That's kind of you," I smiled. "But I'm not a guest. I'm a stranger who dropped in out of nowhere. The loft in the stable will do me fine. I need to go out and get my gear anyway."

"That's ridiculous!" the girl insisted. "We have the empty room." I knew the house was bigger than I originally thought, but five bedrooms seemed a bit much. Unless maybe Billy slept in the same room as his mother? It didn't matter. I wasn't sleeping here tonight in either case.

I could tell that William was waffling. His granddaughter had put him in an awkward position by offering the bedroom. I decided to make it easy for the old man. He deserved a good night's rest. So did I, and for some reason I didn't think being under the same roof as Abigail would help with that.

"The stable is fine." My tone left no room for argument, but then again, if I'd learned anything from my short time with this family, I had a pretty good idea that Clementine would continue. Still, I wasn't expecting the outburst that came next.

"I knew you were a horse thief!"

"How do you figure?" I asked, not bothering to hide my laughter.

"Who else would chose to spend the night sleeping in a stable instead of a nice warm bed?" The accusation in her eyes was a bit over the top, but there was logic there. "You're going to wait until midnight and slip out with the best of our horses!"

"I think you give me more credit than I'm worth," I said, still laughing. "But I tell you what, I'll leave my guns in your grandfather's den until the morning." Still the girl looked ready to continue, making me add in exasperation, "You don't think I'd leave them behind, do you? What kind of thief would I be if I walked around weaponless?"

The best part was that Clementine was obviously still game to argue, but thankfully, her grandfather cut her off this time.

"Enough child," the old man interjected. "First off, you can't insist a man sleep in the house with the family one moment and then call him a horse thief in the next. It don't make no sense! And second, there aren't any horses left to take even if he were a horse thief. Jason and the rest of the ranch hands took them to market." That explained why I hadn't seen anyone else other than William, Billy and the two women.

"What about the special ones Abigail is training, like Domino?"

"No man would be stupid enough to take one of those. Everyone knows your cousin would hunt them down and kill them worse than dead!" William's exasperation with his granddaughter was downright funny, but I refused to laugh at him. The man deserved more respect than that. "Now enough is enough. Tomorrow's going to be a long day with us going to Twisted River. We'll need to wake up extra early to do our chores, especially with how shorthanded we are now. We could all use a good night's sleep."

"Miss Walker," I said with a nod. "William." I excused myself and slipped out of the house before the girl could continue the argument, finding my gear already neatly stacked in the stable. I smiled and promised myself to thank Abigail in the morning.

I grabbed what I needed and climbed the loft. My arms still ached from carrying all my gear from where I left Whiskey so it took longer to go to sleep than usual. Plus, my mind wandered for a while. Talking about my family brought them to mind. William and his family were also in my thoughts.

I hadn't forgotten what he'd said Abigail would do if someone stole one of her horses. I doubted he meant it literally, but I couldn't be sure. The thought made me smile for some reason. I guess I liked the idea of the strawberry blond being able to take care of herself.

I'd seen plenty of people in my life, both men and women, who been victims of something bad. Too many of them broke. Most found a way of moving on, but a rare few were able to come out stronger. I didn't know Abigail's story, but she'd clearly fit into the last category, and that only added to whatever was drawing me to her.

"Damned fool!" I snapped at myself and shifted in the loft, trying to get comfortable.

I had more than a mild case of curiosity when it came to Abigail and her story. That was only normal. Who wouldn't be interested? Still, the anger and need to do something that washed over me whenever I thought about whoever it was who scarred her face like that was something else entirely, and certainly not normal.

I was finally nodding off when I heard a noise that brought me back to fully awake. Someone was out past the corral and coming this way. No one with good intentions came on to a ranch this time of night. I cursed silently when I instinctively reached for my Peacemaker and came up empty. I'd left it in the house.

I still had the advantage of surprise and I'd only heard one person out there, but I needed to find something to use as a weapon. I glanced around the loft, but it was pretty bare up here. William was too conscientious to allow anyone who worked for him to leave tools lying around.

I knew there was probably something downstairs I could use. Maybe a pitchfork. I silently slipped out from under my blankets as quickly as I could. It was cold, but I ignored it. There'd be plenty of time to warm up later assuming I survived.

I'd need to use my old scouting skills to get out of the loft without making any noise, but it shouldn't be too hard of a task assuming I had the time. I glanced out the loft doors one last time to see if I could spot whoever was coming.

I caught myself wondering if it maybe was a true horse thief, or something worse. It certainly wasn't an Indian. None of them made this much noise when they were sneaking up on you. That's when I heard another noise.

"Damn! Two of them!" That changed things, especially since the second sound came from the direction of the house. My mind was racing through my options when the first one came into sight. Thankfully, it was a cloudless night and the full moon lit the sky.

I frowned when I saw what looked like a boy not much older than Clementine slip into the corral. He was clearly trying to be quiet and failing miserably. That didn't mean he wasn't dangerous, but then again, he didn't have any weapons I could see.

A possibility slowly started to dawn on me when I remembered Clementine's earlier insistence that I sleep in the house instead of the stable. Now that I thought about it, she been more than simply obstinate. That's why I wasn't surprised when I saw her long blond hair come into sight a few seconds later. That didn't stop me from cursing to myself.

"Teenagers!" I grumbled, settling back down and pulling my blankets back over me. Clementine was nervously looking between the boy and my location. She was clearly intent on cutting him off before he reached me.

The boy, young man really, was smiling when she joined him in the corral. That only last until he took in what she was saying. I couldn't make out the words, but honestly, I didn't try very hard. I was sure it was something to the effect that they'd have to call out their clandestine meeting for tonight. The boy didn't take it well.

"Sorry boyo," I snorted, not really meaning it. I caught myself wondering just how long this had been going on and how innocent it all was, but knew it was none of my business. Still, I might mention it to William in the morning.

The teenagers talked for a few more moments before they shared an awkward kiss. It didn't last very long and the boy disappeared afterward. There was obvious longing there on both their parts, but they both looked far too tentative for their relationship to have gone very far.

"So, still reasonably innocent," I mused out loud. "Maybe I'll tell Abigail instead of William. He'd probably insist on a shotgun wedding. Abigail would be smarter about it."

And there I was, once again lost in thoughts about the strawberry blond. I even let myself daydream about how I would have handled it if the noise outside was Abigail sneaking out to the stable instead of her sister.

"Well, this isn't helping me sleep any." I was grumbling, but I also had a half smile that I couldn't quite get rid of, at least not until later when I realized just how much the moon had moved in the sky while I daydreamed about the scarred woman. I cursed myself, rolled over and promised myself I'd be gone from this family's life by this time tomorrow. It was the only safe thing to do.

**********

I came awake suddenly, seeing that the sun was just starting to rise, but that wasn't what woke me. No, that was the sounds of someone moving down below.

"Let's go girls. We need to get you two fed. You're going to give us a ride to Twisted River as soon as the sun's good and up for a bit." Abigail's calm, raspy voice made me smile despite how tired I was feeling. It turned to downright laughter when she called up to me, "You too Mr. Mosey. That is, if you want breakfast before we leave."

"I'll be down shortly," I said, standing and stretching. I glanced down and saw her watching me. "And call me Josiah." It was a touch forward of me, but it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

I noticed that Abigail was embarrassed again. She seemed to be that a lot around me and I had the feeling that was odd for her. I was guessing it was for being caught staring up at me, but it could have been for my somewhat brazen offer for her to use my first name considering how little we knew each other. Hell, it could have been for both reasons.

That didn't stop an odd kind of warmth from filling me when she blushed slightly and nodded once in agreement before turning back to her horses. I rolled my blankets and gathered my stuff before making my way down from the loft.

"Here, let me help with that," I said when I saw her reaching for the pitchfork. I smiled when I saw it. It reminded me of my desperate search for a weapon from the night before. Well, that and Clementine and her guest. I still hadn't decided what to do about that so I kept my peace. Instead, I added, "And thanks for bringing my stuff in here last night."

"You're welcome," she said, not quite looking at me as she went about her chores. "Breakfast is on the table in the kitchen. Feel free to go on in. Everyone is awake."

"In a little bit." I continued helping her. We remained silent, but it was companionable. I did find myself grinning when I started mucking out one of the stalls. That caught her interest. "What's so funny?"